Laptop batteries are composed of a shell and a battery cell, and are lithium-ion batteries. The function of the battery is to enable the laptop to work in standby mode without AC power, and it mainly relies on the battery cells inside to maintain energy . The life of a laptop battery is mainly measured by the number of charge and discharge times, so expired batteries will age, and the standby time will drop sharply, affecting the mobility of the laptop.
How Batteries Work
When charging, the lithium ions in the lithium battery move from the positive electrode to the negative electrode, storing energy; when discharging, the lithium ions move from the negative electrode to the positive electrode, forming an electric current to supply power. Oxidation and reduction reactions will occur during the entire charging process. In this process, the battery will gradually lose power.
Lithium-ion batteries generally require the charging process to be controlled in four stages: trickle charging, constant current charging, constant voltage charging, and charging termination. When there is no charging management chip to directly connect the lithium-ion battery to the power supply for charging, the lithium-ion battery will suddenly enter a large current when the battery is low, which will cause damage to the lithium-ion battery. Because the current is large, the heat is also fast, and the battery life will be shortened. The basic requirements for charging lithium-ion batteries are specific charging current and charging voltage to ensure safe charging of the battery. The charging method of lithium-ion batteries is voltage-limited constant current, which is controlled by IC chips.
The national standard “Safety Requirements for Lithium-ion Batteries and Battery Packs for Portable Electronic Products” GB 31241-2015 stipulates that the safety requirements for battery pack protection circuits such as overvoltage charging protection, overcurrent charging protection, undervoltage discharge protection, overload protection, and short circuit protection require that the battery can still be used normally after 500 cycles of charging tests. This is only the minimum standard for lithium batteries. The lifespan of the lithium batteries we use now basically exceeds 500 cycles. Taking Apple’s MacBook as an example, the maximum battery cycle count of the products on sale is 1,000 times.
What is a battery cycle?
Batteries have a finite number of charge cycles before their performance degrades. You can continue to use a battery after it reaches its maximum cycle count, but you may notice a reduction in battery life. One charge cycle means that you have used all of the battery’s power, but not necessarily just one charge. For example, you could listen to your iPod for several hours one day, use only half of its charge, and then fully charge it. If you do the same thing the next day, it would only count as one charge cycle, not two, so it could take you several days to complete one cycle.
How to use laptop batteries well and how to extend their usage time and lifespan are undoubtedly difficult problems that bother many laptop users. There are many ways and techniques to use laptop batteries, which requires us to learn and apply more in daily use.
Will using my laptop while charging damage its battery?
The answer is no.
When using a laptop , there are three states: the laptop is not plugged in, the laptop is plugged in when it is not fully charged, and the laptop is plugged in when it is fully charged. Let’s take a look at how the laptop battery works in these situations .
1. The laptop is not plugged in.
At this time, the laptop will consume the power of its own battery, which is no different from the situation when using a mobile phone, camera, or Bluetooth headset. The use will be counted as a battery charging cycle.
2. Use the laptop when it is not fully charged.
If you use the computer unplugged for a while and then plug it in again, and continue to use it, does that mean the battery is in a ” charge while playing ” state? No. When the laptop is plugged in, the power is provided by the power adapter, and does not pass through the built-in battery of the computer. So there is no ” charge while playing ” situation at all. However, the battery is charged at this time, and it will still be counted as a charging cycle.
3. Use the laptop computer when it is fully charged and plugged in
If you still use the computer plugged in after it is fully charged, the power adapter will continue to power the computer, but the fully charged internal battery will not continue to work (either charging or discharging), so it will not be counted in the charging cycle.
Because the laptop ‘s built-in battery will not be used when it is plugged in , the laptop can still be turned on and run normally when the battery is removed (if your computer can remove the battery) . Only when it is not plugged in will the laptop use the built-in battery, and there will be no situation where it is charging and discharging at the same time.
How can I extend the battery life?
1. Using your laptop in an ideal temperature environment is a good way to extend the battery life of your laptop.
The applicable temperature of the device, the computer manufacturer’s battery life and other experimental data will be marked on the packaging box, instruction manual and official website details page of the laptop. These data are generally tested in an environment with a room temperature of around 25°C.
2. Do not shut down the computer before charging.
Reducing the depth of charge and discharge of the battery can also extend the life of the laptop. Discharging to 75-65% can give the battery the longest life, while discharging to 25% and then charging will greatly reduce the life. If you want to use your laptop longer, don’t use it until it is out of power before charging.
3. Ensure the working environment of the battery
When the temperature of a laptop gradually rises during use, you will need to use a laptop cooling base or regularly perform maintenance to clean up dust to ensure the working environment of the battery.
4. Choose the right power adapter
Now mainstream laptops will have corresponding adapters. The adapter is a power supply conversion device for laptops, providing stable low-voltage DC power for laptops. For some users whose adapters are faulty, never buy the so-called “compatible adapters” because the current, voltage, and even power interface of each laptop are different. Wrong “modification” is likely to damage the battery in advance, and even cause an explosion in serious cases.
5. Ensure the battery is charged to 50% when idle
For those who do not need to use their laptops frequently, it is also necessary to keep the battery at a healthy level when the laptop is idle. It is best to charge the battery to 50%. Because the battery has the property of self-discharge, too low a level of power is also not conducive to battery maintenance.
When using your laptop normally , you should prevent it from being exposed to the sun, moisture, chemical liquids, and contact between the battery contacts and metal objects. Proper maintenance can make your laptop healthier and extend its service life.
If this article still doesn’t help your laptop battery, you can buy a new battery at BatteryMall.com
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